The Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Interpol National Central Bureau, Abuja, has arrested two suspects for alleged complicity in €14.7 million COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment contract scam.

The suspects, Babatunde Adesanya a.k.a Teddy, 50, a Masters degree holder in Cell Biology and Akinpelu Abass, 41, the Managing Director, Musterpoint Investment Nigeria Ltd, were found to be members of a sophisticated transnational criminal network.

They reportedly cloned the corporate website of ILBN Holdings BV, Holland, to defraud one Freiherr Hahn, a representative of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The arrest of the suspects was sequel to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty received by the NCB from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice conveying a request from the German Government for investigation into a fraudulent transaction on the procurement of COVID-19 PPEs linked to a Nigerian-based bank account.

Discrete investigations by Interpol Nigeria revealed that the suspects and their Holland-based cohorts, one Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder specialized in identity theft, cyber-stalking, cloning of corporate websites, amongst other cyber mischiefs, to defraud unsuspecting members of the public across the world.